Malignaggi Signs With BKFC

Another world-class fighter has joined the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, as former two-division boxing champion and current Showtime Boxing analyst, Paulie Malignaggi will make his debut this June.

“This is great signing for Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship,” said BKFC Founder and President David Feldman. “At this time in our company’s growth, we needed to add a legitimate and well-established world champion boxer to our roster, and I believe with Paulie’s ability and personality we’ve done just that. Paulie is the perfect fit for us.”

“BKFC is the new wave in combat sports. They’re doing great things and I’m very excited to be a part of this organization,” said Malignaggi. “I’ve accomplished some big things in boxing career, and I look forward to what this next phase brings. After a long boxing career, it’s easy to miss the limelight and the rush that combat brings. I look forward to getting back in action and the new challenge of fighting for BKFC.”

In his boxing career, Malignaggi held the IBF super lightweight and WBA welterweight titles, losing the latter to Adrien Broner in 2013. Malignaggi would walk away from pro boxing with a 36-8 record, retiring in 2017 following a loss to Sam Eggington.

Malignaggi, a Brooklyn native, would be at the center of controversy in 2017 when he would act as the sparring partner for Conor McGregor prior to his boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather. Malignaggi would blast McGregor for releasing video and photos of McGregor knocking down Malignaggi, leading to a bitter feud that still exists.